59 vs Wolfgang profile

[Ledvedder]

Hi everyone,

I'm wanting to purchase a neck for my strat build. I'm trying to decide between a 59 with 42mm nut or a Wolfgang with a 43mm nut. Curious to hear what everyone thinks between the 2. Thanks!

 

[Hodgo]

All depends on your particular mitts, but the 59 is pretty gosh darn great. ‘59 w/ 42mm is what I just ordered in fact. Fender nut, perfect medium-chunky Gibson back. Good stuff.

Haven’t played the Wolfy, but Ive played the SRV which is similar. Asymmetrical profiles do seem to fit my hand more naturally. I flip flop on 42 and 43mm nut widths. Traditional wisdom is narrow nuts for more comfortable chords.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I’m with Hodgo: I have 6 Warmoth necks and they are all ‘59s (mine with 1-11/16 (43mm) nuts). They are, as he stated, pretty gosh darn great. Nut width is always a trade-off: narrow string spacing is more comfortable but also more unforgiving when fingering complex chords. I have not had much experience with asymmetrical profiles, they feel weird to me.

 

[stratamania]

Both @Hodgo and @Verne Bunsen obviously dig the 59. I tried one and ended up selling it as it was not for me.

Between the two I would go with the wolfgang. Though this type of discussion is pointless as no one except you has your hands or playing style. So all you will get are peoples subjective preferences.

 

[Rick]

I concur with stratman. Ive played both and favor wolfgang. Also consider radius. It takes years to figure out what you like and then you evolve to something else. There's always something better just over the horizon.

 

[rauchman]

I haven't played a 59, but do have a Wolfgang with 43mm nut. It is my fav' neck I've ever played. Having that extra meat in the thumb area really helps to anchor my hand.

I've played a 50's Standard LP, and it was bordering on too big for me. I find the 59 Carve interesting, but would want to try one first.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

After 40 years of Wizard necks, I’ve been leaning into the 59 in recent years.

 

[Hodgo]

After 40 years of Wizard necks, I’ve been leaning into the 59 in recent years.

That’s my finding too - I defaulted to Wizards because my first guitars were Ibanez and my heroes at the time all played them.

I went the opposite route at some point and got a big baseball bat blackguard Tele neck and it wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t the speed bump I thought it would be.

Turns out I like a lot more fill in the hand than the skinny necks I used to play and have found profiles like the 59 or the Musikraft 66 Oval (my favorite) to be the Goldilocks solution that lets me play for hours without discomfort.

 

[Spud]

For old Spud the Goldilocks neck shape would be a .835-.84 C shape, but I suspect The W hand's are tied by the big F.

 

[Rbbrchckn]

I am currently working on an unfinished Wolfgang neck. I chose unfinished as I wanted to sand off a skosh on the "Wolfgang" side. Warmoth ships unfinished necks with: "...sanded to 220 grit and we do utilize a dipseal to protect it during transport..." I started with a very mild sanding on the "Wolfgang" side with 220 grit, then whole neck with 400, tung oil, wait to dry- then moving up until I get to 2000 grit. For me, the Wolfgang profile is barely noticeable and after my 'extra-curricular' sanding it's a bit more noticeable, but you probably wouldn't know it unless told.

It took me over a year to finally purchase, the problem for me was I couldn't find a guitar ANYWHERE that had a Wolfgang profile. Had to buy "sight unseen" but am very happy with the decision. I don't think the Wolfgang profile will be 'wild' difference- if you are a shredder / lead player, get the Wolfgang. If you're mostly rhythm, the 59 is fine.

 

[PFDarkside]

The 59 is a very “pure” C shape to me. The standard thin, 59 and fatback are all similar in this regard and I like them a lot. I really don’t like Vs, and I don’t like the shoulders of Ds. I have an SRV which is really cool because it doesn’t feel offset, it just feels comfortable.

Do you like a ”deeper” feeling neck or a more “shallow” feeling neck?

 

[aarontunes]

I prefer the Wolfgang over the 59, but my preferences should mean nothing to anyone else, really. It's all about what you prefer.

I like decidedly medium necks.

 

[Spud]

All the 59 needs is some gentle shaving down with a shinto rasp and your all set.

 

[Ledvedder]

Thanks all! I ordered a 59 with a 42mm nut.

 

[Spud]

Thanks all! I ordered a 59 with a 42mm nut.

Excellent! I only shave the 59 a bit with a 43mm I have one with a 42mm and it is great!

 

[Hodgo]

I prefer the Wolfgang over the 59, but my preferences should nothing to anyone else, really. It's all about what you prefer.

I like decidedly medium necks.

Is the 59 not medium?

I think it is personally. It’s not a baseball bat

 

[mycroftxxx]

I typically like thinner necks so I got the Standard Thin for my first Warmoth, and changed it up for the second guitar to the Wolfgang. I can tell they’re different but I don’t really have one I prefer over the other. I have a D shape coming for this year’s build though; should be interesting…

 

[aarontunes]

Is the 59 not medium?

I think it is personally. It’s not a baseball bat

It's all relative, I guess.

I can tolerate the 59 if it's got a narrow nut width, but 1-11/16" or larger and to me it feels too big.

 

[ARCnet78]

My first Warmoth project was a standard thin, then I got a wizard and next was a boatneck. I have a wolfgang, that I bought on a whim, for my next project.

The boatneck is by far my favorite, I can hardly play the wizard for any time before my left hand starts to cramp up. I'm seriously considering replacing the wizard with something more substantive.

YMMV.

 

[Samhain]

It's all relative, I guess.

I can tolerate the 59 if it's got a narrow nut width, but 1-11/16" or larger and to me it feels too big.

Same, wide and thinner or thick and narrow but never thick and wide.